Family Calling off to a fast start at stud

Many of Florida's freshman stallions have relatively few juveniles in their first crop. Not Family Calling.

A stakes-winning son of Mr. Prospector-Sense of Unity, by Northern Dancer, Family Calling has 75 registered 2-year-olds going for him. Family Calling became the first of Florida's freshman stallions to have a winner when Minesweeper won his maiden at Calder Race Course on May 17. A week later, the colt First Family became the second winner for Family Calling, taking a maiden race at El Commandante in Puerto Rico. Family Calling stands at Hidden Point Farm for a fee of $5,000 live foal.

On May 20 at Calder Race Course, the Bridlewood Farm stallion Wild Event had his first winner, the bay colt Miracle Boy. Miracle Boy flashed good speed from the gate and won by 6 1/4 lengths. There are 35 more get in Wild Event's freshman crop.

Wild Event, by Wild Again, is out of North of Eden (by Northfields). A winner of but one race in two starts at 2 and 3, Wild Event came into his own at 4 and ultimately became a Grade 1 stakes winner who preferred 1 1/8 miles or more on grass. His half-brothers - Eclipse champion turf horse Paradise Creek, Grade 2 stakes winner Forbidden Apple, and the Grade 3 stakes winner I'm Very Irish - were all monster turfers, as was his dam's half-brother, the Eclipse champion and sire Theatrical. Wild Event is advertised at $7,500 live foal.

Precocity, who stands at Franks Farm, is the only son of Hoist the Flag standing in Florida. He is by Aferd (Hoist the Flag) and out of Super Starlz (by Super Concorde). Last Sunday at Woodbine, Precocity had his first winner. Zakocity, a Franks homebred, rallied from next to last to win a maiden special race.

Despite his name, Precocity was anything but. He eked out one win in three starts at 2. He did better at 3, winning 3 of 12 races and placing in two graded stakes. At 4, he blossomed, winning the Grade 1 Oaklawn Handicap and placing in Grade 1 Pimlico Special. When his career ended at 5, he had won more than $1.8 million. Precocity stands for $2,500 live foal and some 30 mares have been bred to him.

o The catalogs are out for the OBS sale on June 17-18, which is for 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age. Among the 490 2-year-olds in training are two colts, two fillies, and a gelding by Family Calling. Precocity has two fillies in this sale, one of whom is a registered New York-bred. Wild Event has no get in the sale.

Slots legislation fails - again

Any chance that video lottery terminals or slots would soon become part of the gaming mix in Florida evaporated when the legislature in special session last week was able to balance a budget without the inclusion of VLT's.

The governor, Jeb Bush, had made his displeasure with VLT's well-known. Florida's Senate, however, was willing to pass enabling legislation and viewed it as a way to recapture billions in revenue that was going out of state annually via cruises to nowhere, Caribbean junkets, and trips to neighboring states where casino gambling is allowed. But, Florida House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, a conservative, would not let the matter come up in the Florida House.

A year ago a proposed amendment to the Florida constitution called for the legalization of slot machines at existing parimutuels facilities with revenues to fund school and social programs along with a percentage for the Thoroughbred industry. The supporting signatures were gathered, but the Florida Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that the wording of the amendment was unconstitutional, even though the amendment's syntax had been carefully vetted by legal scholars.